Mistakes Are Made
by EverAbernathyFan
Summary: A time where the Dark Lord had won. Muggleborns were killed off, Half-bloods were used at school to practice curses on. Then, after their seventh year at the school, they'd be bought as a Pureblood family's servant. Charlie Blare is a Half-Blood, and it's nearly her time to graduate, and be sold into servitude.


Charlie Blare sat down by the lake, the wind blowing her chocolate brown hair around her face. Her eyes were focused on the dull, gray clouds that had rolled in and hung over the castle. It had been there for a couple days, and yet no rain had appeared, as far as Charlie knew. However, her mind wasn't on the clouds, instead, her thoughts were about what had happened in her parents' time. Charlie's mother was a witch, her father a Muggle. However, when her mother suddenly picked up and left, her father had wanted nothing to do with magic. He would tell her to keep quiet, especially around her younger brother. Charlie guessed that her father thought if he kept Dylan away from magic, then he would lose any sort of magical abilities he may have. She hoped it would, too. Though, she wouldn't know at all, she hadn't seen them in seven years.

The sixteen year old girl never learned about the past. Or rather more, the time in which a war was fought. The time when Lord Voldemort had risen, the time where he was taking over. She just knew what happened before, and after. Curious about that time, Charlie had asked her friend to find a book on that time, surely there had to be one. And since there was no more restricted section-the professors actually embraced Dark Magic these days-Charlie felt that they could find anything in that library.

And so she convinced Delia to go poking around. Now Charlie was just waiting for the girl to arrive. She gasped when she heard a voice shouting her name. Turning her head to the side, reaching for her wand, Charlie soon realized it was only Delia. The girl-with her auburn hair and startling blue eyes-ran towards Charlie, book in hand. It was old and seemed to be falling apart, parts of pages stuck out of the covers. "Charlie! This book has it. The Battle at Hogwarts, when the Dark Lord won," Delia said, dropping her voice to a low whisper at the end.

Charlie nodded and flipped open the book, skimming until she saw the battle as a title. She was surprised at what she read.

_The Battle of Hogwarts was a hard fought battle that ended the second wizarding war. There was two sides to it. The ones fighting for the Deatheaters, and those defending Hogwarts, fighting along side the Order of the Phoenix, a group put together by Albus Dumbledore himself(see pg. 120). They fought for hours, the Dark Lord making it known that he was only looking for Harry Potter, the boy who lived and the only boy who stood in his way to victory. Potter was missing through most of the battle that night, and when he later appeared, he was being dragged from the Forbidden Forest by Bellatrix Lestrange._

The people defending Hogwarts were horror struck. Their defender was dead, their hero ceased to live. However, a few of them never gave up. They fought straight to their deaths. Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, Molly Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, and Ginny Weasley were just a few to name. Families were completely eradicated(Weasleys, Longbottoms, Potters, Patils, etc.) and Muggleborns were forced into slavery. The Dark Lord and his Deatheaters had quickly won, most of the defenders of Hogwarts having fled to their surrender.

Many were found dead later on. Hogwarts was rebuilt to serve as a school again, only for the Pureblooded. However, as time went on, the Half-Bloods were accepted into the school as well, although had different rules to abide by. They were treated terrible and were often found being cursed by the Pureblood students in the corridors. The situation never got better, they got worse for the Half-Bloods. They would be used to practice the Unforgivable Curses on, and other jinxes and curses. They were mostly separated from the others for a long time, but were put back later on. The Half-Bloods lost a lot of privileges to classes until they were only taking small, very poorly taught classes, two a day if they were lucky.

Charlie stopped reading after that, she knew what came after that. Half-Bloods didn't even get classes anymore, they were only used as the dummies. And when they weren't used in the classrooms they were often in the kitchen, instead of House-Elves. They had to stay at the castle permanently, they never got to see their family until graduation. Muggleborns had all been killed off a long time ago, so Half-Bloods were often bought from the school as servants to do the Purebloods' chores. It wasn't a happy life at all for them.

Delia took the book back, sighing. She was a Pureblood, a secret 'Blood Traitor'. She had forced her way into Charlie's trust, and gained her loyalty. They had spoken ever since Charlie's second year and Delia's first. Delia cleaned her up after particularly bad days in the classrooms. And though she couldn't clear away the cuts and now scars, Delia had helped Charlie a lot by just telling her it'd be over soon enough.

And the time had indeed come. Today was her last day at Hogwarts, and tomorrow she'll be in a Pureblood family's mansion, doing their chores and whatever else they wished her to do. Charlie wasn't happy about it, especially since she would never see Delia again. However, it was better than being stuck with this life, here at the school.

Delia looked over at her, tears in her eyes. She hugged Charlie quickly, not wanting her to leave. But it had to happen and she knew it. "I'll miss you, Charlie," She told her. Charlie couldn't say anything, not then.

Professor Yaxley stepped out of the castle, stomping over towards Charlie. Delia hid the book and scooted away, so it looked like they weren't speaking. Professor Yaxley was a cruel woman with tight lips and sharp lines on her face. She didn't particularly like Charlie, but enjoyed having her class cast curses on her, particularly the Cruciatous Curse. Charlie kept her head down, grey eyes shining with fear. She hated standing in front of that classroom, ending up curled in a ball on the floor by the end. At least she knew what was coming.

Professor Yaxley stood in front of Charlie, roughly grabbing her arm and yanking her to her feet. The girl stumbled but kept her head down, averting the glowering gaze of the woman. "You're needed in the graduation ceremony. We've picked you for the job." Charlie shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew what that meant, but didn't protest. She simply made her way into the Great Hall. She wouldn't miss this place at all.

Charlie was forced to her knees in front of the students. She was between a boy of her age with shaggy black hair and bright green eyes, and a girl who had to be her age with bright red hair and large brown eyes. The girl was crying loudly, the boy looked stoic, as if he'd already accepted the fate. She knew the ritual, and knew the dangers of it. She was frankly terrified, but couldn't show it, not now.

The ritual of the graduation was terrible, however, it was pleasing to the Pureblooded. Three Half-Blood seventh years would stand in front of the graduates. They would be blindfolded. The professors would choose the top three graduates and they would stand in front of the Half-Bloods. They would show their power over them, show how much they've learned, that they'll show no mercy. One will cast one of the Unforgivable curses, the other, another, and so forth. The Half-Bloods wouldn't know which curse would hit them until it did. One would die, it happened every year and most of the students paid no remorse except the hidden Blood Traitors and the other Half-Bloods.

Charlie wasn't surprised she was chosen for this, now that she thought about it. The girl beside her was crying even louder now, as the headmaster stood up to say his speech. Charlie reached out and touched the girl's fingertips with her own, and whispered, "I'm Charlie, you?". However, she still looked out at the crowd, her chin up, trying to look brave.

"E-Emilee, and that's Grayson," The girl whispered, sniffling but not stopping her crying. Her sobs echoed around the hall, and it made Charlie wince. It wasn't helping with her own expression.

"We'll be all right. You both'll be all right. They hate me," Charlie whispered. She could tell Emilee and Grayson were close, from how she had said his name, and how he would glance over. Grayson would move a tiny bit, as if wanted to step over and comfort her. Charlie knew they had to make it out of this. But she wasn't ready to die. Not yet. Even though she had nothing to lose, she didn't want to die at seventeen years old, only remembered as a filthy Half-Blood.

Something firm grabbed Charlie's other hand. Glancing over, she saw Grayson's hand in hers. She nodded, setting her hand fully in Emilee's and giving it a squeeze. They always did this. A sign that they were still united, even though only two would survive this. They wouldn't be pitted against each other, not vocally wishing for the others' deaths.

As the headmaster finished his speech, three students stepped up to them. A Malfoy, she knew because the boy was always on top of the classes. His pale blond hair also stuck out as well, labeling him as one. Then there was a girl that she knew belonged to the Carrow family, only because she'd been cursed by her so many times. The boy to the other side of her was familiar, too. He had greasy hair and light blue eyes. That was a Snape. He was fabulous at potions, but also remarkable with his curses.

Charlie watched as Emilee was blindfolded. The sobs never stopped from the girl, so Charlie squeezed her hand. She looked back out at the crowd, and then felt the black cloth cover her own eyes. Her world was enveloped into darkness. Grayson's eyes must have been covered as well, because he gave a squeeze to her hand as well.

"Wands at the ready!" Professor Yaxley called, sounding smug. Charlie could just imagine the amusement on her face.

No, she couldn't do this! She can't die now! Charlie tried to hold back her tears, she tried but it didn't work. A few tears slipped down her cheeks past even the blindfold. She felt them drip onto her hands, which were rested on her thighs. She couldn't die, not now. Not so young. She wanted to live live just a little bit longer, experience life outside of Hogwarts.

"Ready! Set!"

They had decided before the ceremony who would be casting which spell. They never told any of the Half-Bloods, but they had picked. They had picked each of their fates like it was nothing, like it was picking apples over oranges at a family picnic. It made Charlie sick to think like that.

"Cast!"

Words were heard.

Crucio.

Imperio.

Avada Kedavra.


End file.
